Tiptoeing Thru The Minefields...

Another week has passed and Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasir Arafat has continued to make his feelings felt that come May 1999, a Palestinian State would be unilaterally declared while the Israelis and US diplomats try to find a way to avert such a situation. The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netenyahu meanwhile has brought in hawkish Knesset member Ariel Sharon as Foreign Minister to assuage right wing Israelis.

However, these moves have done little to move the peace process forward and the US is pinning its hopes on a new summit between Netenyahu, Arafat and Clinton to seal a deal and would bring the Palestinians closer to statehood and Israel closer to relinquishing control over the remainder of the West Bank.

Yahoo's Middle East Coverage includes further stories regarding the peace process and would be a good place to keep up to date on the latest events. One story that seemed to get buried in the back pages of the media, yet could have tremendous repercussions in the Middle East, was that French investigators had found traces of nerve gas on warhead samples taken by UN Arms Inspectors. The New York Times web site (you need to register to access the site completely), ran this story that details the fact that the Iraqis may have been closer to arming and firing chemical weapons warheads at coalition forces than previously believed.

This evidence continues to suggest that Iraq has been less than open about its actions during the Gulf War and that its actions since the war have been to prevent and delay inspectors from doing their jobs because it would only lead to world opinion and the UN to continue enforcing the sanctions against the Iraqis.

New Web Sites To Check Out:

The Internet Center For Information on Israel

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The copyright of the article Tiptoeing Thru The Minefields... in Middle East Politics is owned by Michael Siegel. Permission to republish Tiptoeing Thru The Minefields... in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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